The present invention relates generally to a unique construction for a container package for holding a plurality of containers or the like together as a single unit.
Packaging a plurality of containers together as a single unit can be achieved in a wide variety of ways and methods commonly known to those individuals having ordinary skill in the relevant art. Such ways and methods include, for example, encompassing containers in cardboard boxes and trays to form a "case" or a "twelve pack," encircling the outer band margins of the containers with a flexible, resilient material to form a web-like container carrier, and further surrounding the containers with a flexible, resilient material that shrinks or stretches upon the application of heat or an appropriately directed force, respectively. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,502, 4,018,331, and 4,219,117, disclose the structure and functionality of the container carrier. These patents are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and the disclosures thereof are incorporated herein by reference.
One of the more popular methods of packaging a plurality of containers is to surround the containers with a sheet of heat shrinkable polymetric film material which shrinks upon application of heat to conform to the exterior configuration defined by the plurality of containers, thereby captivating the same. A pattern of slits or perforations can be supplied to the sheet of polymetric film material either before or after the heat shrinking process so that sheet may be ruptured to release the containers. Similarly, stretch wrap film material may also be used in place of the heat shrink wrap.
Use of each of these various methods results in a differently formed, yet similarly functioning package. However, some of those packages are incapable of positively retaining the plurality of containers in a certain, pre-determined configuration or array. This can cause problems, especially in a warehouse or a store, for example, wherein packages must be stacked in order to maximize use of limited space. If the packages allow the containers therein to move about, thereby disrupting the pre-determined array, a workman may encounter great difficulty in properly storing the package, while still maximizing use of the limited space.
A package, constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, is intended to assist in solving those problems, among others, resulting in greater convenience to the user. The package of the invention is functionally distinct from the container carriers disclosed in the above-referenced patents. While the container carriers are intended to releasably hold a plurality of containers together for transport, the package of the invention has an array which maintains the containers in a predetermined configuration within the package.